A ridiculous claim from start to finish

Dear Editor,

 

Re: Court dimisses Sogi land claim 

So are you saying that under the N.Z. administration where British common law applies, you can get arrested one week and have a trial and be sentenced to death the very next week?

The whole claim from start to finish was completely ridiculous. There were holes all over it and I said so right from the beginning. Any sane person with a brain would’ve seen Tokuma’s testimony as a fairytale. Everyone knows Sogi has always been government land and before 1962, it was colonial administration land. That is why the Sogi people paid rent to the government all the way through their tenure there.

On the bright side, Falelauniu will be a new beginning for them. It is more fertile land for growing crops and best of all, one day, once they pay off the purchase price, the Sogi people will own those parcels of land up at Falelauniu. It will no longer be government land. 

Urban development is rapidly heading towards there and the value of those freehold lands will continue to go up. Also with freehold land, they can use it as collateral for loans for the further development of their families (unlike customary land). That is a much better deal than living in the Sogi swamps paying rent to the government forever.

 

Petelo Suaniu 

Samoa Observer

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